Typically, computer systems, including desktop and portable computers, may operate in a power saving mode of operation in order to reduce power consumption. One such power saving mode of operation may be referred to as a “sleep mode” or a “sleep state.” A computer system may be invoked to enter a sleep mode of operation after a period of inactivity or upon a user invoking the computer system to enter the sleep mode of operation. The “sleeping” computer system may be “awakened” or resumed upon an event such as a user's keystroke, pressing the power button, receipt of electronic mail, a fax, etc. That is, upon an awakening event, the computer system exits out of the sleep mode of operation and resumes a normal mode of operation.
Typically, a personal computer resumes from sleep state, i.e., reactivating the operating system, in a short amount of time, e.g., less than 5 seconds. Computer users have become accustomed to resuming from sleep state in such a quick manner. However, in certain types of environments, such as a client device/data center environment, the resume time of a computer from sleep state may be significantly longer.
In a client device/data center environment, multiple computer systems, referred to as client devices, may be coupled to a data center that includes a control module and multiple computer systems, referred to as server blades. A client device may refer to a computer system with input/output capabilities but does not include any processing capability. The processing elements may instead reside in a server blade. A server blade may refer to a server that does not include a storage resource, e.g., storage array. The storage resource may be a separate unit that is shared among the server blades.
After a client device enters a sleep state, the client device, upon an awakening event, may send an initialization command to the control module of the data center. The control module may first authenticate the client device. Upon authenticating the client device, the control module may determine the client device's requirements and search the available server blades for a server blade that meets the client device's requirements. The control module may also locate the client device's image file, e.g., operating system, and memory map. Upon identifying the client device's image file, the data center may load the client device's image file into the appropriate server blade. The server blade may then initiate the client device's image file thereby resuming the client device from sleep state. Since the control module has to authenticate the client device, identify a server blade that meets the client device's requirements, identify and load the client device's image file and memory map into the appropriate server blade in order for the appropriate server blade to initiate the client device's operating system, the resume time for a client device in a client device/data center environment is significantly greater than for a typical personal computer.
Since users of personal computers are accustomed to a rather quick resume time, the user of a client device in a client device/data center environment may be dissatisfied with the resume time that takes significantly longer.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a client device in a client device/data center environment to be able to resume from sleep state in a more quickly manner.